


Leiloa

by TacticianLyra



Category: Moana (2016), The Last Guardian (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Last Guardian Fusion, Gen, Maui never even got close to Te Fiti, will this be continued? I'm honestly not sure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-17 15:19:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9331172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TacticianLyra/pseuds/TacticianLyra
Summary: Title should roughly translate to "Lost" in Samoan. For the past thousand years, the tribes have all lived in fear of the monstrous creatures that came in the night to steal away children. Moana hadn't expected to wake up in a strange cavern with one of those same creatures.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **This is on hiatus until A) I figure out what to do for filler details because TLG gives _no plot elaboration whatsoever_ and everything's up to the player to guess at, and B) until I get the movie novel for Moana because I want to be sure I'm getting personalities right.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am hoping that writing this isn't a mistake.  
> For those curious about the TLG factor, I'm going to be following the plot of the game pretty closely, with a couple of twists thrown in here and there. This is also an AU, if that isn't clear.  
> I've seen the movie three times, but tips on getting personalities right are always appreciated, as are ones on lore.

It was one of the stranger dreams she’d had. She felt as though she was being whisked along quickly through a dark place, the wind tearing through her hair, while also, strangely, feeling as though she were underwater. The sheer _realness_ of the sensation alone was enough to make her cough a few times.  
  
An indeterminate amount of time passed, and she became aware of a consistent dripping sound, like a raindrop making its way through her home’s roof again. The sound seemed to echo a little, as if it was in a cavern…which made no sense, if she was in bed.  
  
With that thought, Moana opened her eyes and sat up, blinking the bleariness away. Dim light filtered in from above, and unfamiliar birdcalls echoed faintly. Definitely not the _fale_.  
  
While she was taking in the immediate surroundings, a chain that led into the ground caught her focus, which was linked to a collar that was on a…a…  
  
Her eyes widened almost comically, and she stifled a scream, scrambling backwards. Lying before her was a great beast, a deep brownish-red in color, with the remnants of a black-plated helmet covering most of its face. Matching plates, though cracked terribly, were on its back, and its large wings hung limp and tattered. Its feathery pelt paled to a sandy coloring on its face standing out sharply with its dark beak…muzzle…snout…she wasn’t sure what to call its mouth. Two turquoise stumps, remnants of horns, were on top of its head, and on each side was a large, wedge-shaped ear. Four birdlike legs ended in blunt-clawed paws, with three digits on each foot. Its breathing was heavy and haggard, though it appeared to be unconscious.  
  
Moana slowly reached to brush some hair out of her face, when yet an out-of-place thing about _herself_ was noticed—dark markings decorated the length of both of her arms, beginning at her wrists, stretching down to her ankles, and going up to her shoulders, maybe as far as her throat—they definitely ended at a spot she wouldn’t be able to see without some water to look into for a reflection. They were delicately stylized, with clear symbols of sorts being visible, but none she could recognize. “Maybe Grandma will know what they mean,” she said aloud, trying not to panic—how had she even gotten them? She did not recognize this part of Motunui. Nor did she know why she was in a cavern that held a beast the elders always warned the younger children about prisoner.  
  
_“Don’t go out alone after the sun sets, or a Trico might come and snatch you up!”_  
  
The act of her speaking had an unintended consequence: the beast jolted awake with a startled whine, pain-hazy eyes fixing on her before gleaming a bright violet, and it screeched angrily at her.  
  
Immediately, she bolted down the only path she saw, turning a corner—and running right into a stone wall. She hissed out a breath, before looking around. There was a ledge on another wall that had a hopeful-looking opening in it, but she soon found with dismay that she couldn’t jump _nearly_ high enough to get a grip on it.  
  
It occurred that she might have to look around a little more thoroughly in the cavern where the Trico lay, and Moana shivered as some of the elders’ warnings resurfaced in her mind. It certainly looked like it could swallow a person whole.  
  
It looked up sharply when she reentered its field of vision, growling deeply. It was a good thing it was chained up—and had a spear in its leg. The eight-year-old wondered why she hadn’t noticed it sooner.  
  
As for how her investigation of this cavern ended, it was one of disappointment. The crumbling stone building had no corridors leading anywhere, and it looked as though the only other way out had been buried in a landslide. Any way she looked at it, the only way out would be directly up, where shafts of bright afternoon sunlight shone down.  
  
Moana looked again at the spear in the Trico’s leg, and grimaced. It was clearly in pain, and leaving it like that just did not sit right with her. “Besides,” she told herself quietly. “It’s chained up. I can run away before it even gets up.” _Hopefully._ It hissed and snapped when she got close to it, and the wing closest to her fluttered out—it was absolutely _massive_ , even when not fully spread—when she stepped onto its leg. Its feathers felt surprisingly silky underfoot.  
  
“This might sting a little,” she warned it, wondering if it could even understand her, before she gripped the spear and _yanked_.  
  
It came out easier than expected, after only a few seconds. The beast howled in pain, thrashing; she was thrown off, and she lifted her face from the dirt…just in time to get kicked in the face.

 

When Moana awoke again, the cavern had darkened substantially. Night had fallen. Her parents would definitely be worrying by now. She rubbed the back of her head, wincing—when the Trico had kicked her, she’d been sent flying into the stone wall, leaving her with both a headache and a lump on her head.  
  
A low grunting from the beast was heard, and she saw with some trepidation that it stood. But only for a few moments—one of its front legs gave out, and it whined piteously, glancing at something toward the stone building.  
  
Closer examination showed something that had completely missed her notice. A wooden container of sorts was sitting precariously on the edge of a platform, a strange blue substance being visible through the seams when she’d hoisted herself up to get a closer look at it.  
  
Below, she saw that the beast was now watching her intently, its eyes glowing once more, though a pale white instead of purple. Its ears had perked up as well, in a way reminiscent of Pua when something interesting caught his attention.  
  
Not wanting to take a chance, she tossed the container toward the Trico. It was sturdier than it seemed, bouncing once and coming to a rest just in front of it.  
  
The Trico stared first at the container, then at her, and then back again, before picking it up in its mouth, promptly crushing it before swallowing both it and its contents. The two other containers she came across followed suit soon after.  
  
This time, when she warily drew closer, it did not even hiss. Sure enough, when she looked at the Trico’s right side, there was another spear lodged in its shoulder.  
  
Unfortunately, it being removed caused a near-exact repeat of what had happened before. The beast screamed again, standing suddenly, the motion throwing her off even though she’d clung onto its feathers.  
  
Her vision flashed a few different colors before darkness overtook her once again.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Moana felt the next morning was a soft muzzle nudging her arm. She swatted at it half-heartedly, murmuring “Not now Pua, it’s too early…”  
  
The words elicited a whine that _did not_ sound like Pua. At that realization, she forced her eyes open, and found herself face-to-face with the Trico. It was crouched directly in front of her, eyes shimmering dark green, like a shaded patch in the ocean filled with seaweed.  
  
Neither of them moved for a bit, although the creature did tilt its head to one side slightly, as if asking something. The chain keeping it in place rattled faintly.  
  
The chain. Of course—she wouldn’t want to have that stuck on her either.  
  
The creature kept still when she climbed onto its back this time, and she studied the collar for a few moments before seeing what looked like a lever. Instead of moving up or down, it pulled straight out—the moment it was loose, the collar clattered to the ground.  
  
The Trico stood up, shaking its head; the remainder of the mask slid off onto the ground, as did the remaining plates of metal on its back, before turning its head to look at her. Moana had been sure to keep a very firm grip on the feathers this time. _He’s bigger than I thought. Maybe…_  
  
“I did a favor for you, now you do one for me,” she told it slowly—she still wasn’t sure if it knew what she was saying. “Go _that way_.” She made an effort at pointing at the passageway. It did as such after a short hesitation, stopping to glance up at a spot where sunlight was shining in. She also had a clear view of the ledge she couldn’t reach—it looked like there were three spaces small enough for her to crawl through, but two of them had caved in. The third was being plugged up by another wooden container, which (after she’d jumped onto the ledge) was promptly dropped to the ground for the Trico. The passageway eventually opened up enough for her to stand, and after taking another turn, a narrow opening in the wall that appeared to be emanating light came into view. Unfortunately, it didn’t lead outside.  
  
Moana had experienced a few rainy nights when it couldn’t exactly be called warm, but she’d never actually felt _cold_ until this very moment. “What is this place?” she asked herself, after noticing that each breath she took produced a small cloud that vanished after a few moments. The “place” was a large, circular room that featured a shallow pool of water (which, being equally cold, provided the opportunity to alleviate the burning in her throat that was thirst) in the center, with an indentation of sorts on one side with what she supposed was a flat-lying statue, human in shape. On its chest was a pedestal, and on that pedestal was a metallic circular object, likely a shield with how it had a handle on one side.  
  
Curious, she picked it up—and nearly dropped it when a beam of light emanated from the other side, shining onto the wall. Whatever it was supposed to be, it seemed…important. _Maybe no one will mind if I borrow it for a little,_ she thought hesitantly.  
  
But aside from that, there was no other way out than the way she came in.  
  
The Trico had decided to take a nap while she was gone, and it perked up when it heard her come back, standing. “That way was a dead-end,” she told it.  
  
Then things got strange. First she heard a low humming sound from the shield, and saw the pattern on the other side light up. When she moved it into the light to get a better look, the Trico saw it and flinched back, its eyes flickering rapidly between white, yellow, and red. The display went on for a few seconds before it shook its head viciously, snorting. “You recognize this?” she asked. The creature ignored her, instead choosing to return to the first cavern. She reluctantly followed, in time to see it try in vain to jump up to a ledge far above. It whined in irritation before flopping onto the ground. “I guess you don’t want to be stuck down here either,” she said, before looking at the rubble-blocked second path. “Think you could dig your way through that?” she asked, while playing around a bit with the mirror’s light, aiming it at the rubble.  
  
She didn’t get any verbal response, but what _did_ happen was a bolt of lightning blasting the rubble apart. The Trico yelped, startled by the feat its own tail had just performed.  
  
“Aaand you shoot lightning from your tail,” Moana stated, flabbergasted. “That’s…okay.” Whatever had just happened had unblocked the ( _hopefully!_ ) way out, so she started down the new corridor, Trico in tow.  
  
It occurred to her that, despite all the terrifying tales she’d heard, she wasn’t afraid of the feathered creature.  
  
The path consisted of a narrow ledge, a sharp drop beside it having rushing water some ways below, opening up into yet another cavern with a decent-sized lake inside, two waterfalls feeding into it.  
  
Water meant ocean. Which meant a way out was _definitely_ somewhere through here. With that thought, she jumped into the water, climbing out onto what might’ve been a stone bridge crossing the surface a long time ago. The Trico stared at the liquid uncertainly. A thought struck her. “Hold on. You’re not… _scared_ of water, are you?” she asked. It looked at her with what might have been offense before jumping down. The resulting wave took her off her feet.  
  
“Ha-ha, very funny,” she remarked sarcastically, before heading up a slanted path and clambering up a short stone wall. Upon getting to the other side of the small gap, she was greeted with actual _sunlight_ instead of earlier’s fake blue light.  
  
She hesitated before glancing back through the hole, seeing the Trico. “Look, um, you’re surprisingly nice for a giant monster,” she started. “But the rest of my village probably isn’t going to know that, so you’re going to have to stay here, okay? It was nice meeting you.”  
  
With those parting words, she let herself drop off of the edge of the stone wall and onto the ground. Before she could even take ten steps, a cracking sound from overhead made her stop and look to see that the Trico had managed to make it to the very top of the barrier, and was looking down at her. “N-No! You can ‘t follow me back to the village!” she exclaimed, exasperated. “ _Go home_!”  
  
But like Heihei did on practically every occasion, it ignored her, leaping onto the ground just in front of her, bounding ahead. She ran after it, only to skid to a halt.  
  
The Trico had stopped at the edge of a cliff, and had stood up onto its hind legs with its torn-up wings fluttering uselessly, not even extending fully, but that wasn’t what Moana was really paying attention to.  
  
Dominating the area before her was an absurdly-tall white tower, with other ruined buildings scattered around the area. Beyond it was an equally-large stone cliff. Two trees were off to the left, but they weren’t palm trees…or any sort of tree she recognized, either. Unfamiliar birds flew through the air, their calls echoing throughout the area.  
  
It occurred to her, with a growing sense of dread, that this was not Motunui.


	3. Chapter 3

Standing around doing nothing wasn’t going to help her, she realized, and looked around. There wasn’t much to the small grassy area, except for a narrow ledge going along the cliff to the right. Moana nearly overbalanced herself when it ended suddenly, giving her a view that wasn’t very pleasant; she immediately grabbed onto the chain attached firmly to the cliff, face paling. _That’s a_ long _way down._  
  
Unfortunately, the only way to cross the gap was by carefully inching her way toward the other side by clinging onto the chain, which was thankfully sturdy. After crossing the first gap, a low whine from the Trico indicated that it was still following, by leaping across the unstable-looking rock formations rising out of the abyss below. At this point, she wasn’t complaining. A monster that could shoot lightning from its tail was a powerful ally.  
  
A fallen pillar provided an unsteady bridge to a building hewn into the cliffside; the Trico, on the other hand, simply had to jump up to the inaccessible-to-her entrance higher up.  
  
It was all very strange. She’d never heard of a tribe that made their buildings out of stone, or carved them directly into mountains. “This isn’t a dead-end, is it?” The Trico snorted, looking up at an old broken-off chain hanging from the ceiling. That commenced clambering onto the creature’s back yet again, and maneuvering her way up via a series of small stone ledges in the wall. It was kind of like climbing a tree, except there was no grass to break her fall. Moana briefly wondered if the Trico would catch her if she slipped; it actually seemed very intelligent, despite the stories.  
  
A passageway eventually split off into two paths, though the smaller one only featured another one of the strange containers. The words of one of the fishermen that had been visiting from another nearby tribe came back to her: _“Positive reinforcement is_ everything _when it comes to training a dog.”_ They hadn’t had any dogs on Motunui, but a few others did. It had been a small thing, with long hair and a bushy tail *****. A Trico was not a dog, but either way she was going to be the first person to ever train one. The thought lit a fire in her, and she called for it to come, before directing the mirror-shield’s light at a rotting wooden gate—it stood no chance against the summoned lightning.  
  
The large blockade beyond it, however, withstood it for longer than a minute. The Trico had made an irritated sound after a while, prompting her to stop. “Do you see any other way through this?” she’d asked; in response, it had picked her up by the back of her shirt, ignoring her startled protests, before leaping to the top of the structure, and then down to the wooded area below, dropping her unceremoniously after.  
  
Moana glared at it, whereas it simply scratched behind one year, a few feathers coming out and drifting away in the breeze. _Maybe this Trico-training thing won’t be so easy after all…_ There were more of those strange trees here, a few of which she saw had what seemed to be fruit—they were a mottled reddish-tan and pod-shaped. It wasn’t a coconut, but she was getting hungry enough to risk it. It was sour, but still edible. A pond off to the side was void of any fish, but clear enough to provide a reflection, unlike the chamber where she’d found the mirror. As she’d suspected, the mysterious tattoos ended at the top of her throat.  
  
Beyond the pond was—surprise, surprise—another tall barrier. This time she climbed onto the Trico’s back before it jumped.  
  
She’d walked under the shadow of the next building when she realized the creature wasn’t following. Its focus was on a brightly-colored hexagonal object lying precariously near a ledge. Judging by the wary growls, it wasn’t a friendly recognition. "You're scared of an _eye_?” she asked, incredulous; the object’s pattern did indeed look like an eye. Its violet-glimmering eyes briefly flicked at her before it looked at the object again.  
  
“Okay then,” she muttered, before pushing it off the ledge. It shattered against the stone ground far below. The Trico warily stared down at its fragments before entering the building.  
  
Obstacle #2: a definitely-not-wood gate. A handle was visible on the other side. The windows above looked promising, though she’d nearly vaulted herself into yet another yawning abyss she couldn’t see the bottom of.  
  
“Just don’t look down,” she told herself before carefully stepping over to the ledge on the other side of the wall. “Don’t. Look. Dow- _aaugh_!” She screamed a bit when part of the ledge crumbled. Thank the gods it didn’t completely fall apart. She still opted to sit on the ground on the other side of the gate for a few minutes before pulling the lever down. One dark hallway later, the area opened up into a large room with a circular platform in the center, covered by a dome of intersecting lines of blue…stone? She honestly couldn’t tell what it was, with how it was glowing at random intervals. Either way, the Trico was suddenly wary again.  
  
No eye symbols in sight.  
  
“I’m beginning to question your judgement of what’s dangerous or not,” Moana remarked to it, hopping down from the ledge and onto the platform before turning to look up at it. She noticed a strange, coiled object of the same blue stone behind a barrier of sorts.  
  
The Trico growled, apparently to itself, before jumping down—and then it happened. First she heard a low ringing sound, and then the coiled object lit up. The Trico whipped its head around to stare at it, the remainder of its horns also lighting up, before howling. Its eyes gained a pinkish hue to them when it looked at her. She wasn’t a master at reading its expressions by a long shot, but this wasn’t something that was friendly.  
  
But for some strange reason, though her brain was screaming at her to _run_ , she simply  
  
coul _dn’t_  
  
_lo **ok**_  
  
_**a̲͍̮͞w̘̯̺̼a̫̙̝̫y̠̳**_  
  


 

 ** _F̯̙̩͖͇̗l͎͎̟y̩̦̱͉̪̠i͍̫͙̭̙̮̞͡n͔̹̖̟̱̦͘g̲ ̻t̢̟̪͓͓h͚͖͙̼̝̪r̬̤̥o͖̩͟u̞̬͉͠g̻̙̙͉͕̮̪h̷ ͔á̰͓͉̪͙͕ ̱c̩͚͉͟l͖̺̞̗͚͓o̢̱͔͉͕̱̰ų̼̭̫̼̝̘d̳̕e̱͜d ̵̦͚̩s̮̖̖͓̱͔k̨y̟͓̥̪͉,̤̖̙͇̻͕̖ ̤͇̯̼̯̪j̤̞͚̘̻̹u̮͞s̴̞ͅt͖ ̲͎b̵̗̜̯͖̝̲ͅe̮͓͎̹̞̳f̢̜̯o̴̖r̙͇̥̞e̙̻̹͉̜͉͡ ̲̙͓́ͅd̺̳̭̥a̼̹wn͍̺̰̪̮̭̠͘—̭̻̗͚͙_**  
**_̬S̪̹̹̹̜͡e͓͚̩̰͢e͎̳̭̠͖͘i̧̺͇̗n̩̹̫͖g̶̣̫̰͙͉͖̫ ̲̤̭ͅh̻̤̯ͅa̜͉̭͙̻͙z̟̮̱̖͔̟̬͢y̮̘̭͎̠̩ f͚̖͖̞͙͠i̵͚̖̦̦g͎̭̫̠̪͠ú̩̯͎̪̜̦r̬̖͚̹̳ͅe̠̹̦s̜͉͕̥,̦̼͉̫̬̫́ ̡͇ͅf̙̜͡a͕̣̜͞c̜̯͍͙͠e̵̹̜̼͇̺s͝ ͉́f̟͚i̧e̥̞̥̬rc̹͉͕͖͇͙e ̶w̬̻̜̹̩̻̤i͖̖̠th͇̱ ̸a҉͓̜̜͔ǹ̫͕̬ge̞̠͖̹͝r̝̮ ̮̣a̶̭̺͔̗n̬̯͎̟̬̪d̸̳̜̣̙̬̹̝ ̘̖̲̞̠ͅf̢̪͇̱̹͚̖̖e͚̟̼a̵̩͉r̳̜̬͙͘ͅ,̡͚ ̢̯̭̗̦a̰̮̮̤͚ͅḽ̯̮̝͠l͚̻ ͔̜̻̖̲h̴̜o̘̝l̥̖̹͔̱̝̀d̹̭̠i̙̮̲n̮͎͍g̰͚ s̢͎͈̻͖p͏̻͕̬͓̖e͕̜̘̮̙̲͈a͇̺̖̲ͅr͔s̵̼̟̻͚̞—̞̖͚́ͅ_**  
_**S͈̠t̼̩̬̮̙͉̦͟a̲̤͖̬rị̦̣̥̺̼̟ṋ̝̳̤̙ͅg҉̜̯ ̛̩̳ḑ̰͚̺̝͚ó͔͖͖͇͉̖͈w̧̰̩͖̳̪̪͔ṋ͉̜̝͍ͅ ͏̤̮̙͚̣̣̗a̝̪̹t͈̠͉̰ ҉͚a͇̰̬͉̯ ̷̤̫͕͇͎f̬̟͉͚͖͞a͎m̢͈͕͔̲i̜͔͡l̮͙͇͈̦̞̳i̻̪̱̯͕̞̘ar͏̥̙ ̷̲fa̜̥͜c͓e͉,̯̻ ̖͞e͈̟͎̖̬͍̗͝y҉̗̠͖̞͙̬e̼̞͕̯͖s̤͓͝ ͟r͚͓̼̲e̴̱̜̥ͅf̨l̞̰̟ec͔̤̖̩̙͖t͓͈͚͈̣ͅͅị̗̣̫̬n͝g̨ ̦͔t͈̝̯h̢͓e͎̠̟͇͍̣ ̜̳̪̼͖̫͜h͚̪̙͇̙͙u̫̗͙̳̣̞e҉̭͎͈̬ ͕͕s͏̤̘͇̗h̳̬͚͍e̫̯ͅ’̮ḓ̳͇͓̱͖̺ ̼̜̥̮j̮͍̺͇u̢̫͖̜sṱ͇̥̹̟ͅ ̙̫s̪̦͇̖̦̣̬e͉͍̫͙̺̤͍e̞̕n̙̺̣̳̰̥͉ ̸̼̞͉̰͖̬͎i̹̻̣͔̻̰͓n͙͇͔ ͈̝̩̗̼̗͇́t̹̙͇̮̻h̸͈̪̘̮e̴͙̗̫ ̣͔͍̠̣̞̤T̥̤̟͙͈͖ṛ̖í̖͖̤c̻̟̣͝o͎͉̪̗̜̣’҉͍s̵̯̪̳͔͙̞ ̲̪̰̠͇͉m̟͈̮ạ̦̥̩̼d̨̥d̗̠̜̬̲̭ͅe̥̠̦͝ne̴̦̩̦̩͔d̥̰͍̬̰̙ ̞͍e̱̱̰̗͡y̱̮̦̻̙͞e̡͉͙s̩̠̱̺͇̤—̛̗͓̳**_  
**_F̥̭̲ͅḻ͙̯͚̗͟y̸̹i͓̝̬̥͜n̺̥͎̮g̸̺͚̥ ̩͟ͅa͔̯̙͎̲̦̳g̤̖̟̭ͅa̳͖͓̳̝̕į̺ṉ̳͖̦,̘̲̣̺̠̙͚ ̛̯̹̦̹̠t̡̖̳̬͉̳̟̩o͖͝w̬̲̣ͅa̖̲̠r͉̞͙̲͇͚̹d̥̲̼̳̣ ̺̟a̛̦̝n̟͙̗̦̝̹̠ ͓̲̭̙͙͉̬͡i̗̲̜̰̬s̸͔l̖͍a̡͇̞͉̮̞͇n̹͖d̻͖͇̕ ș̶̤̠̯͍h̛̭̝͙̟e͙͈̠͉̤ r͕̖e̶͖̬̣̩̬c̱͘oͅg̛n͖į̪z̯͇̗̭̫ͅͅe͖̗̮̕d̻̭ ̫f̱̪̝̻̕r̸͓o̦̭͓̖ͅm̻ ̞͉̱̮̣͙̻o̹̙̱͕͈͓̯n̢̹e̹̳ ̬̩̩̠͖̥͝o̵͙͚f̻̰̖͡ ̢̩͙͍̯̜̠̮t̸̗͔͔̜h̙̹͓̯̯e ̡̭̻t̺̳à̘̪̙̬̼̯p͎͕̗̣̺̕a̱̜̬͕̯͈—҉͉̬͎͔̳̤̬_**  
**_A͈̘̺͘ ̩t̖͎̘͖͍̗́w̹͈̘i̫̬͙s͞t̟͉̺̳̼i̞̖̯̯̠̤͡n̳̠͢ͅg̩̼͜,̫̼ ̲͕͉̳́a̻g̝͡o̴n͖͎̬i͙̘̥̥z̺̯̘͓í̬n̻̮̺̘̼ͅg̢͓̟̣̺ ̱̝̺̯̣̫p̯̰̼̩̹̮͔͠a̵i͏n̳͕ ̗ͅfr͖̻͇̪̘o̯͙̖͕̖̩̞m̦̜ ̬̙̣̩̩b͈̪̯̠̪͡e̙̖in͎̳̮̪͚͘g̣͎͖̺̜̪̤̀ ̸̣̩̣͓fo͔̘̙͉̤ͅr̹̲͉̯̀c͍̗i̤̙b͏̬̯̦ļ̝͇͇y̘͞ ҉c͙͇̀h̪ͅa͓̟͚̩̮̺̬n͟g̀ͅe̼͖̺̝͈̲ͅd̟͈̱͔̥ͅͅ—͎̳̙_**

 

Moana’s eyes snapped open, and she sat bolt-upright, gasping for breath, before looking around. The Trico was unconscious just behind her, mouth parted slightly, with mint-green drool forming a small puddle…which was roughly where her head had been. She gave a disgusted exclamation at finding her hair damp with it.  
  
The mirror-shield was nowhere to be seen. Not to mention…  
  
“There’s more of them,” she muttered, turning her hands over. The tattoos had extended slightly, edging onto her palms and the back of her hands, as well as the top of her feet. Something had happened, and Trico had more than likely done it. She just didn’t know what exactly it was, because the last thing she remembered was a sensation like a dark, oppressing fog sinking over her mind.  
  
The gate on the other end of the pathway was shut tightly, and the space was too narrow for her to get through. Climbing back up to the way they’d come in was out of the question until Trico woke up.  
  
Her gaze wandered to where Trico’s tail was hanging off the edge of the platform. It looked like there was an area underneath it.  
  
And if there was one thing she’d learned so far in her eight years of life, it was that hidden passageways almost always led somewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a nightmare and a half to figure out toward the end; if you've played The Last Guardian, you'll know why.  
> *there was indeed a breed of dog native to Polynesia, called the kurī. The guardian deity associated with them, Irawaru, has a story involving Maui, hence why I referenced them.  
> Big difference in this AU: wayfinding didn't completely stop, but it's extremely uncommon for anyone to leave their islands for extended periods of time thanks to the giant monsters snatching people off of their boats.  
> Fear of this keep the tribes primarily anchored to their islands, save for a few brave ones.


End file.
